Human Rights: People With Albinism Are Living In Fear - Malawi

There has been a surge in killings of people with albinism in Malawi.

In the southern African country, it is estimated that between 7000-10000 people live with albinism, a rare genetic condition present from birth that results in a lack of pigmentation in the skin, eyes and hair. 

Attacks increased sharply last year. At least 18 people have been killed for albinism in Malawi since November 2014; five others have disappeared without a trace in that time.

45 incidents were reported last year alone – of murders and attempted murders, abductions and attempted abductions – although the real figure could be much higher, due to the fact that secretive rituals in rural areas are rarely reported.  There is also no systematic documentation of crimes against people with albinism in Malawi.

The safe spaces so many of us take for granted – homes and schools – are no sanctuaries. Family members are often involved in the murders and abductions. With the number of attacks on the increase, children are kept away from schools because the journeys there and back are treacherous.

Even after death, their bodies are subjected to grave robberies. Their bones are stolen and sold for use in witchcraft.  There are other challenges faced by people with albinism in Malawi. People with albinism in rural communities (and their families/carers) are seldom given adequate information on the condition, and how to prevent dangerous sun damage. Because of a lack of melanin, people with albinism are sensitive to sunlight, but they are not given access to sunscreens that would make it easier for people with albinism to live normal lives.

Teenager David abducted at a football match David Fletcher, a teenager with albinism, had gone to watch a football match at Tete football ground in Nambirikira village on 24 April when he went missing. On 2 May, police confirmed that David's body had been found in Mozambique with his hands and feet chopped off.

David was last seen in the company of a colleague who disappeared along with him, who is still missing.David was reportedly sold to a traditional healer in Mozambique. Two men were arrested in connection with his murder.

Baby Whitney taken from her home

Two-year-old Whitney Chilumpha disappeared on the night of 3 April from her home in Chiziya village, Kasungu District. Whitney’s mum alerted the neighbours and they set about searching for the toddler, but Whitney was nowhere to be seen. The mother reported her missing daughter to the police.

On 15 April, baby Whitney’s skull, teeth and the clothes she had been wearing were discovered in a nearby village.

Police are keeping Whitney’s father and another man in custody over her disappearance and murder.

Nine-year-old Harry snatched from his family

Harry Mokoshini was abducted on the night of 26 February when a gang of men broke into the family home in Moto Village, Machinga district. They took Harry from his mother, threatening and injuring her as they kidnapped her son before her eyes.

Police found Harry’s severed head in a neighbouring village on 3 March.

Harry’s uncle has since been arrested in connection with the boy’s abduction and murder, along with another man who has an existing conviction for possessing the bones of someone with albinism. He had been fined the equivalent of $30 USD for the crime in 2015.

Accuse Persons Greeted MKK Court With Silence As Case Heard Outside Jurisdiction

The unexplained transfer of the trail of April 14th protesters to Mansankonko is yet another clear manifestation of the Gambia government’s disregard for the rule of law. There is no justification of transferring the case to a jurisdiction different from where the alleged crime takes place.

Fatoumata Jawara and her co-accused today appeared before a magistrate in Mansakonko. This followed after the remanded detainees were transferred to Jan Jan Bureh prisons. Families were not put in the picture either.

The accused persons were mercilessly tortured soon after their arrest, resulting to the death of Solo Sandeng. Leakage of Mr. Sandeng’s callous and inhumane death forced the executive and supporters of the United Democratic Party to the streets.

Like the case of Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and co, Mansakoko case was also greeted with defiance. All the accused persons refused to legitimise what is purely illegitimate and illegal trial.

The prosecution led its witnesses, sub-Inspector Pateh Baldeh and First Class Kebba M. Jallow, to testify in the sham trial before inviting accused persons to cross-examine the witnesses. The Accused persons who are without lawyers answered with long silence.

Despite the prompt nature of the trial, some opposition supporters have managed to travel to Mansakonko to offer solidarity to the remanded detainees.

Defendants lawyers have earlier rubbished the transfer of the trial to Mansakonko. The legal team, headed by Barrister Antouman Gaye, walked out of the court in protest against Justice Dada’s condoning of travesty of justice. President Yahya Jammeh’s mercenary Nigerian judge’s decision to slant justice in favour of the state caused anger and frustration among defence lawyers.

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State Moves Remanded Opposition Protesters To Unknown Location

The United Democratic Party (UDP) has confirmed from multiple sources that an unspecified number of remand political prisoners who were arrested on April 14 2016 with Solo Sandeng have been removed from their prison cells and being transported to an unknown destination.

While it is still not clear why the abductees were removed from their cells, the UDP holds the government of the Gambia wholly responsible for their personal security and wellbeing.

The Gambia under President Jammeh has developed a plaid history of disappearing detainees to their eventual death only to shamelessly turn around to say that they have escaped lawful custody.

We can confirm that by around 1:30 GMT, state security personnel from the Police, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Army, drove into the Mile II Central Prisons and removed an unspecified group of remand political prisoners in handcuffs. Neither their lawyers nor the prison officials were told where they were being taken to.

The UDP is deeply concerned about this latest case of lawlessness by a government that is aided and abated by a corrupt and unjust judicial system gone haywire with state prosecutors acting entirely on directives from the office of the president to deliberately and persistently pervert justice.

Although some unconfirmed reports say the abductees are being transported to the Regional Capital of Mansakonko in the Lower River Region of The Gambia, the UDP would like to make it clear that we will not take part in these state orchestrated violations and criminality which is part of a ploy to effectively imprison innocent people by cynically holding them up in endless and unlawful procedural schemes.

The alleged crimes that the April 12th group have been charged with were committed in the Greater Banjul Area therefore the courts in Mansakonko, 200km away cannot exercise jurisdiction over this case.

We reject affirmatively the judicial deception The Gambia government is attempting to use for its wholesale repression of the Gambian people.

Through its conduct, it has contaminated the judiciary and morphed it into an instrument of terror aided and abetted by hooded thugs embedded into the security services that violently abuse unarmed men and women in their custody.

We therefore restate our grave concern that The Gambia government in its persistent pattern of abuse and violence poses an existential threat to The Gambia and its people. We reject and will not submit to procedural tricks designed to hold our innocent compatriots indefinitely under the guise of judicial proceedings that are neither free nor fair.

If the regime continues to not honor our demands as well as those of the broader international community for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, it alone will bear full responsibility for whatever eventualities may ensue.

The Gambian people are not cowered by the old vile threats of additional death and violence by a morally bankrupt regime.

Freedom and democracy are the only thing we will settle for and we will not rest until they are achieved whatever the price.

Issued by the UDP

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Lawyer Darboe Shames Jammeh’s Mercenary Judge

               

The remanded opposition leader of the United Democratic Party has shamed the mercenary judge presiding over their trial.
It all started when High Court judge Justice Eunice O. Dada asked whether Lawyer Ousainou Darboe could defend himself and his detained colleagues since their entire legal team walked out of the court on Wednesday in protest against travesty of justice. She had earlier allowed the state to invite their first witness to testify, insisting to proceed with the case in the absence of Defense Lawyers. Justice Dada then wanted the prosecution witness one deputy inspector Musa Sanyang to be cross-examined.
She referred Mr. Darboe as a Defense Counsel but she got the answer she had not the least expected. “Don’t call me Counsel because I am here as the leader of my people,” Mr. Darboe opened his defiant address. He then watered down a subdued judge telling her that since the day of their arrest, both the state and the courts have been deliberately violating their constitutional rights. Mr. Darboe said Justice Dada was the last person to violate their rights. He said the judge’s flagrant violation of their rights is uncalled for. The judge was asked why he did not ask the defendants whether they would like to look for lawyers. The subdued judge buried her head for sometime and waited for Lawyer Darboe to nail the coffin. As a human rights of 43 years of experience, Mr. Darboe told the judge doing Dictator Jammeh’s bidding that he can pinpoint how the state and the judiciary have been conniving to betray justice as well as violating their rights.
Darboe said since the beginning of proceedings all their rights have been ignored. Unfortunately, the court as the last bastion of hope, joined the fray. “Even today our rights have been ignored by the sitting judge,” he said, querying as to why the sitting judge did not ask whether defendants could represent themselves or they wanted defense instead of imposing on them to defend themselves. “That is a violation of our rights,” Lawyer Darboe said. “Therefore, we will not participate in your court’s pre-arranged conviction.”
At this juncture, the prosecution asked the court to invite other defendants to cross-examine the prosecution witness. All of the 18 defendants, including eight UDP executive members, stood up but communicated with silence.
Justice Dada took sometime to write before she adjourned the case to Monday.
Families and supporters of the defendants who joined the legal to protest against miscarriage of justice, remained outside the courtroom.
It could be recalled that the first judge who presided over the politically motivated trial recused himself from the case after a media prank. Justice Otaba admitted being embarrassed by the case even though he had denied Darboe and others right to bail.
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"I am Not Counsel But I Speak For My People"Lawyer Darboe

              

Transcript of proceedings of 9^th June 2016.

Before Justice Dada Case called

APPEARANCE

THE STATE

SH BARKUM – Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)

MB M. B. ABUBAKAR – Deputy Director of Public Prosecution

B DRAMMEH – Bubacarr Drammeh

DPP: My Lord, this matter is for hearing. Subject to your convenience, we are ready to proceed.

Court – Ruling

Since the Defence Counsels for the accused persons walked out of the court in yesterday’s proceedings. The accused persons are charged with offences to which the accused persons can defend themselves in the absence of their counsel. Therefore the case shall proceed.

WITNESS SWORN ON THE QURAN IN ENGLISH

DPP	What is your name?
WITNESS	My names are Deputy Superintendent Musa Sanyang
DPP	Where do you live?
WITNESS	I live in Farato
DPP	What is your occupation?
WITNESS	I am a Police Officer.
DPP	What is your rank in the Police?
WITNESS	Deputy Superintendent of Police
DPP	Which unit of the Police are you attached to?
WITNESS	The Police Intervention Unit.
DPP:	Do you have any particular or special designation in that unit?
WITNESS	I am the Officer Commanding Operations.
DPP	Can you tell the Court the nature of Police Intervention Unit? What do you do as officers of the PIU?
WITNESS:	Our roles are many. One, we are responsible for public disrupt when it happens.
DPP	Are you responsible for public order?
WITNESS	Yes sir.
DPP	What other things form part of your duties?
WITNESS	Patrol duties and guarding the VIP and other security duties.
DPP	Is there any other thing apart from what your mentioned?
WITNESS	Sometimes we guard high-profiled cases to prevent violence.
DPP	Do you know or recognise the accused persons?
WITNESS	I know some of them.
DPP	Who is the person you recognise?
WITNESS	I recognise Ousainou Darboe.
DPP	What do you say about the faces apart from Ousainou Darboe?
WITNESS	Some others.
DPP	Do you know the reason why they are in court?
WITNESS	Yes I know the reason why they are in court.
DPP	Cast your mind back to the 16th day of April 2016 and tell the Court what you can remember pertaining to this case?
WITNESS	On the 16th April 2016, whilst at our base PIU Kanifing, we got an intelligence report that there were people violent at Kairaba Avenue and are planning to make a protest march. Therefore, a riot team of police officers were deployed along the Kairaba Avenue.
DPP	Where were you when the team was sent to Kairaba Avenue?
WITNESS	I was part of the team. We were to monitor the situation. We are on patrol and proceeded to Kairaba Avenue Police station and we were on stand-by there. Whilst on stand-by with my men, I received information that the people at Kairaba Avenue had moved on foot in a large number protesting towards Westfield. There, I and my team quickly got on board our truck at Kairaba station and immediately followed the protesters along Kairaba Avenue up to somewhere around Comium Headquarters. We saw that the traffic was completely at halt- blocked and cannot pass through. And then we managed to take another route and overtook them up to a distance of 200 meters. We were in front of them and alighted from the truck prepared in full  with our riot gears.
DPP	What is a riot gear?
WITNESS	That is our batons, assault gears, assault rifle. As they are coming about to reach to us. I first of all ask them if they have the permit.
DPP	How did you do that?
WITNESS	I did that by using a PA system.
DPP:	What is a PA system?
WITNESS	A big Mic. A public Addressing System. They failed to produce a permit and I quickly used the public proclamation words to them.
DPP	What are the Public Proclamation words?
WITNESS	In the name of the Islamic Republic of the Gambia, all persons assembled here are ordered to disperse peacefully and to go to their lawful business. Persons who ever did not disperse will be liable to be disperse by force.
DPP	So after the public proclamation words, what happened?
WITNESS	After the public proclamation words were read to them, the protesters insist and still go ahead with the march of which the riot police did not give them the chance to go on.
DPP	So what happened?
WITNESS	In that situation, the protesters started throwing big stones on us the riot police. There the riot police also responded and used minimum force on them by using our tear gases on the protesters. That was the time some of them started dispersing and running. But with all that we were able to arrest a number of them at the scene.
DPP	Who were the protesters you arrested at the scene?
WITNESS	I said earlier Ousainou Darboe was there.
DPP	Why did you arrest them?
WITNESS	Because as the unit responsible for maintaining public order at that point in time, the security and peace of the country was at stake. People were running. Businesses were closing their shops and the traffic was obstructed. And even the shops around that end or areas, most of the glasses were broken by the stones from the protesters. Also during the process of that protest, some of my officers sustained injuries. Some of them have seals. As a result of the stoning from the protesters. Because of our swift intervention, after arresting a good number of them, then they were calm down with the intervention of the police.
DPP	Can you tell the Court the way and manner the accused were conducting themselves? How were they marching?
WITNESS	They were in lining-up formula and holding each other’s hands.
DPP:	What is lining-up formula?
WITNESS	Meaning they were in lining-up formula holding each other’s hands tightly and matching.
DPP	What other things happened or you can remember?
WITNESS	Apart from what I said, I can’t remember anything.
DPP	Who were the members of your team when all this happened?
WITNESS	Some of them- Chief Inspector Sarjo Camara, Sub-Inspector Colley, Sub-Inspector Mustapha Sowe, Corporal Ousman Jammeh and others.
DPP	That’s all for the witness, my Lord.
JUSTICE DADA	Yes, cross- examination by the accused persons.
OUSAINOU DARBOE	From the first day of my appearance with my colleagues in court, every human right, procedural right protection provided by the Constitution and other laws has been ignored. I appealed to the court to use your discretion judiciously and judicially. I have been a legal practitioner for 43 years and I should know when discretion is exercised judiciously and judicially. When the case was called this morning and you ruled that since the defence counsels walked out of the court in the previous sitting, the accused person should represent themselves. The proper thing was for the court to have asked if the accused persons wish to hire the services of another counsel of their choice. The court should not have imposed on us to defend ourselves. That is a denial of our rights. In view of this, my Lady, we will not take participate in this trial to legitimise our pre-arranged conviction.
JUSTICE DADA	I want to ask you this question: Are you speaking the minds of the 19 accused persons?
OUSAINOU DARBOE	This is political trial involving me and my people. Thus, we are not taking part in the case to legitimise our pre-arranged conviction.
JUSTICE DADA	In light of the accused persons not cross-examining the witness, the witness is discharged.
DPP	Since the 1st accused is not counsel, the court should ask each accused person about his position.
OUSAINOU DARBOE	I am not counsel but I speak for my people.
CLERK	ReadS the names of each accused persons and asked if they have anything to say. All the accused persons remained silent after each accused person’s name was called by the Clerk of the Court.
DPP	My lord, we apply for an adjournment for continuation of hearing.
COURT	Case adjourned to 13th June 2016 for continuation. source www.kaironews.com

Bensouda Serves And Pleases Ibliss in Society

             

By Unbiased Prince 

It is now obviously reaching the climax of epic proportion of being expected to comment and in as much as I did not anticipate of being drag into the sinister yet

denigrating mind games of Mrs Bensoda’s culpable with the status quo of awfully felt beyond Banjul and its surrounding Towns and Villages
while indeed she was using the occasion of the said interview to suffocate all goodness with her frugality and absolutely but  indirectly insulting our ethos of intelligences
and no matter how hard I actually tried to ignore her attention seeking phraseology of her distancing herself away and from the reason as to why she was appointed to serve none but God-Almighty Allah and His creation whereas in the position of operating as the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC today
it seems my persistence with the truth would finally be heard here as seemingly but well expected to steamroll our Gambianism of Freedominality from any strife of misconceptions.
She does not really have what it takes to be counted upon as beyond valuable and understanding. There is no need also to remain hopeful in that regard as she seriously lacks any perception and sincerity in herself.
I think Mrs Bensoda has drastically failed Gambians on an awful scale and of not expected of her as she should have just checked with herself, with reality cadence first, and see if there could be any way out of her dishonesty with basic Fundamental Eminence of the ICC that she is meant to serve with utter independence from any influence or manipulation by any party or individual and should thereby, but fully adhere to the dependency of those who would fully relay on the ICC to deliver them justice of badly craved without failure before hitting the airwaves with her most canning talks enough to anger nature all on Itself and until doomed finally visits her and becomes her lasting fate of lately.
There is something that she seriously need in her every presences (faith, fidelity, fealty, allegiance and uncowardliness) fellows. Yes, but sadly she hasn’t got it while always faking it with gimmicks of unnaturally though people are so eager within frustration to not only see her in actions of modesty, but as well of being naturally inspired by and within bond affairs of far shared through our natural instincts and in truth alone thus to have her as fully dependable.
I believe that was long gone though as she ditched it only to serve and please none but Iblis the devil. She had already long replaced it as well with disregards and total deliberants and keeping a blind eye on facts to defend her emptiness that we all keep seeing in her many presence of detaching herself from her moral obligation. And what could be more obvious of her being unregretful of the situation in the Gambia than telling people that the ICC is not a court of Human Rights whereas the edifice and erection of that the same ICC and in it entire self was way built and fostered on the Rights of the same people that she is now taking for a dirty and a stupid rid-on her selfishness? I believe it’s none as this is just a simple explanation as to why I could no longer remain mute and should not.
Time and time again my fellows, Africans and their habitats simply gets misrepresented badly but also taken to represents as walls of sacrilegious people and place for those in higher position, of both Africa and likewise of none Africans, to abuse their positions and powers with loose concerns and for much longer than what anyone can remember.
Little have been done if any at all to rectify the situation by those of whom we surely believe should dedicate part of their powers and if not all, but to somehow liberates us from the clutches of political squalor and the enough of negligence that keeps bashing and abasing our morality contents and must be regarded as part of the World’s procreated entity.
Mrs Bensoda is of no difference if you ask me and I have no desire to believe that she would dare brave the obstacles that now stand to define her weak character of referencing from those ready to trouble our human civilisation.
Many desires of the most vulnerable people in the Gambia today might have a different opinion to Mrs Bensoda’s waste of space and time. But in any given difference of circumstance and aspirational needing to reshape moral obedience and should stand to stunt up morality deems for betterment of well dedicated in Gambian people’s earnest forms but as already got dash out of their reach by the regime in power of only to certify the greed and most arrogant leader in their natural space, she is none other than the failure to rescue them in time and nothing can be more precise than her saying it in her interview.
If keeping the awful and unlawful regime in Banjul in public offices and places for the interest of dictatorship to prolong even much further than now, yet keeping the leadership of APRC party rich and more comfortable in his gluttony of ill-concerns or to keep enriching those in power regardless of how bad or mad the situation stands to contradict our moral conquest, obligation, our humanism of well construed through values to fight for what is right, for our God Given Human Rights, for what is in meek distinction, for a better environment, for all to live in peace and utterly modest ways, Mr Bensoda have by far succeeded in conclusive evidence given at her interview and proving her targets of disregards on Gambians beyond what we have already gathered in details.
Political bigotry have since mellow with frugality at petrifying state of immense difficulty to digest indeed. Our humanitarianism of well dejection by the regime in the Gambia and its leadership have also, but since becomes the marvels of the day and what many simply thinks had systematically thrown away the many things valued at implicit of moral biddings by democratic ascertainment of well needed to improve the situation of Gambia and of far craved by its people for far too long now. And I don’t believe such matters could or have even moved Mrs Bensoda from her quest to pour more negligence on the Gambians’ awful situation.
Wasalama and Ramadan Mubarak
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source www.kaironews.com

What Mandinkas Must Do About Jammeh

By Max

Take it or leave, tribalism is institutionalized in the Gambia’s cultural, socioeconomic and political life thanks to Dictator Jammeh came. That has been his goal since the first day he stepped into Jawara’s shoes in 1994. Dictator Jammeh has been on record over and over condemning Mandinkas for their opposition to his (Jammeh’s) government. The hate-filled leader expressed his tribal vitriol against the country’s majority tribe on many occasions. This is evidenced by Dictator Jammeh’s numerous outbursts in many political meetings. His Mandinka phobia is felt every where within the government. Mandinkas’ only crime — if there exists any — is to form a majority in a country where all tribes get along well until Devil Jammeh arrived.

In 2013, president Jammeh has instructed his then Presidential Affairs Minister, Momodou Sabally to castigate Mandinkas and branded the UDP as “a Mandinka party and that UDP supporters are unpatriotic Gambians who are smearing the image of the country abroad.” It is now normal routine for the Dictator to set other tribes against the Mandinkas. Dictator Jammeh’s incitement of violence and urge of other tribes to stand up against Mandinkas has reached a level that can lead to systematic targeting and killing of Mandinkas in the Gambia.

During his country tour recently, Dictator Jammeh went further to indicate that “I will kill you like ants and no western country can do anything about it. Who are you to disrespect other tribes. The Gambia is not a Mandinka country and there will be no Mandinka government in this country again,” barked an ungrateful man who would never have been President without the help of Mandinkas.

This latest attack on Mandinka ethnicity is the most dangerous precedent Jammeh has set for future tribal conflict in the country. Such a hateful speech does not only deserve to be condemned but it should also be used as basis to remove Jammeh from power by any means necessary. Jammeh’s tribal castigation and hatred against Mandinkas is a threat to our national security and our peaceful co-existence as one people. In the course of history, we heard about leaders who used narrow tribal differences to propagate their selfish political and economic interest. This has happened in Rwanda in 1994 when an estimated eight hundred thousand or more Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by members of Hutu milia which was aided by a tribal Hutu government. Hutu were majority in the Rwanda’s military and occupied top positions in the government just like today Jolas in the Gambia occupy top positions in our security apparatus such as Gambia national army, National Intelligence Agency and the police.

It is time for all decent Gambians, irrespective of political affiliations and tribal origin, to distance themselves from Jammeh’s tribal hatred against Mandinkas and openly show their condemnation for the sake of our country’s security and peaceful co-existence as one family.

According to the recent census, Mandinkas formed about 42 percent of the population of the Gambia. Dictator Jammeh has made it an official policy to continue his tribal vitriol against half of the country population which are Mandinkas. This is demonstrated in the composition of his cabinet and senior government positions as Mandinkas represent less than ten percent of top positions in his government. Jammeh’s hatred against Mandinkas is so prevalent that he has exiled majority of Mandinka youths in the country mainly because of political persecution and outright employment discrimination against Mandinka speaking people in the country. During his tour of the country last year, Mr. Jammeh highlighted his government’s policy of not hiring Mandinka speaking citizens. He prefers to hire no  Mandinkas to occupy positions and employment opportunities in the country. Today eighty-five percent of youths who took the back way to Europe are Mandinkas and even in Europe, Jammeh continues to target Mandinkas for what he called “their lies” against his government when they look for economic security and political asylum in those countries. He has sent his agents to Europe and the USA to spy on Mandinkas and also ensure they are deported to the Gambia where they continue to face daily persecution. Mandinka youths who are in the Gambia’s Armed Forces and other security apparatus continue to face daily harrassment, intimidation and false allegations of being anti-regime. Some were set up and arrested for speaking Mandinka language in their work places while others were fired because of their Mandinka origin. How long does this institutionalized discriminatory tactic and human rights violations would end is any body’s guess. One thing I know is that such a horrific and open tribal vitriol and systematic tribal hatred and discrimination will lead our country into national disintegration and political abyss if left unstopped immediately. It is time for Mandinkas to stand up against Jammeh’s tribal vitriol and claim their rights as citizens of the Gambia. Other tribes should join forces with Mandinka majority not to support and tolerate Dictator Jammeh’s tribal vitriol any more. Failure for other tribes to condemn and repudiate Jammeh’s tribal discord openly is tantamount to failure in their responsibilities as citizens in the face of destruction of the fundamental fabric of our society and peaceful co-existence of our people. Let each and every Gambian remember that, before Dictator Jammeh came to power, there existed our country which will always remain no matter how this regime wants to systematically destroy our country.

From now on, Mandinkas in the Gambia and around the world should boycott Jammeh’s businesses, his political meetings and resign from their positions in his government. Those in security services should work with patriotic citizens from other tribes to ensure that Dictator Jammeh become history in short possible time. Our jola brothers and sisters in the military must also realize that their future is not in the hands of a Dictator but their future lies in the Gambian people as collective family. Every decent Gambian must take a stand to get rid of cancer of our society.

Thank you.

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Gambia Receives Civil Society Punches

Auwal Ibrahim Musa, Acting Secretary General of WACSOF

The Gambia’s dictatorial government is once again at the helm of international criticism. The country receives punches from members of the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) in the Senegalese capital Dakar. The latest punches are contained in a resolution passed by WACSOF forum prior to the 49th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

CSF II: Resolution adopted at the WACSOF forum prior to the 49th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Dakar Senegal: Gambia- governance, democracy and respect for the rule of law Cognizant that WACSOF and participants of the CSF II met on 1-2 June, 2016, in Dakar, on the margins of the ECOWAS Summit, to deliberate on the political, economic and human rights situation in ECOWAS member states and the crisis in The Gambia;

Considering that ECOWAS espouses the fundamental Principles of Accountability, Economic and Social Justice and Popular Participation in Development; Rule of Law, Human Rights and Good Governance;

Recalling the Principles contained in the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance namely: Constitutional Convergence Principles; Free and Fair Elections; specifically- popular participation in decision-making, strict adherence to democratic principles and decentralization of power at all levels of governance;

Further recalling that these rights set out by the African (Banjul) Charter for Human and Peoples’ Rights (adopted 27 June 1981), and reflecting on the prescribed articles: article 3- equality before the law and protection by the law; article 4- respect for human life; article 6- right to liberty and protection from arbitrary arrest; article 7- right to fair trial and presumption of innocence until proven guilty; article 9: right to receive information and express and disseminate such information within the law; article 10- freedom of association; article 11- freedom of assembly; article 12- freedom of movement; article 25 duty to promote human rights; article 26- duty to guarantee independence of courts;

Recalling the provisions of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Right of Women in Africa, ratified by The Gambia on May 25 2005, compelling state parties to protect the right to dignity and prevention of any form of violence against women;

Recalling Article 77 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, which clearly spells out the sanctions regime for non-fulfillment of state party obligations; and Article 45, which states that: “In the event that democracy is abruptly brought to an end by any means or where there is a massive violation of human rights in a member state, ECOWAS may impose sanctions on the state concerned”;

Noting that The Gambia is a state party to the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which it ratified on May 21, 2008; as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ratified on June 8, 1983;

Aware that The Gambia is the only country within ECOWAS that has regressed drastically in its governance and rule of law- from the days of the 1980s when Gambia was seen as a bastion of democracy and rule of law on the whole continent to a point where it was rewarded with hosting the ACHPR, to now a pariah state where its citizen’s live in fear due to the unconscionable brutality meted out to its citizens on a daily basis, the most recent of which was on 14 and 16 April 2016.

Alarmed by the rapid deterioration of rule of law, further erosion of human rights, enforced disappearances, arrests of political party opposition, torture, illegal detention and extra judicial executions, as well as wanton abuse of executive power in The Gambia as evidenced by recent events, which indicates that the country is presided over by an undemocratic regime, where impunity and terror are firmly entrenched, which is a violation of the ECOWAS Principles of Governance and Democracy;

Fully cognizant of the fact that 14th April 2016 youth leaders from the United Democratic Party (UDP), calling for electoral reforms in The Gambia, were illegally arrested, resulting in the death of Mr. Ebrima Solo Sandeng in custody.

Shocked by the statement made by president Jammeh in the Jeune Afrique Magazine no 2890, on June 16 2016, that: “People die in detention, or during interrogation, here one person died, and they want an enquiry. Nobody will tell me to do that in my country…..Ban Ki-moon and Amnesty International can go to hell….who are they to ask me to organize an enquiry….I will not.”

Having regard to the arrest of the UDP leadership, pursuant to their demands to the release of the detainees and the body of the deceased, during a peaceful protest on Saturday 16 April, alongside his entire party executive, Mr. Darboe and others were physically assaulted, arrested and taken to unknown locations around the country. And the further arrests and detention of over 86 protestors;

Recalling the demands made by the ACHPR, ECOWAS, the African Union, United Nations Human Rights Council, European Union and civil society and rights groups for The Gambia to honor its commitments to the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the African Charter for Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international treaties dealing with rights issues;

Aware that on November 22, 2011, before the presidential elections in The Gambia, the ECOWAS Commission, wrote to the Gambia Government stating: “In the circumstance, the ECOWAS Commission is of the view that the conditions prevailing in the country do not meet the minimum standards set under the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance for the conduct of elections and has, therefore, decided to exercise the discretionary powers conferred on the Commission’s President under the Protocol to stand down the ECOWAS Observer Mission.”

WACSOF Condemns the acts of illegal and arbitrary arrests, torture, physical and sexual violence against protesters including women, the ultimate killing of Solo Sandeng, and continued threats by the Government of the Gambia on its population;

Condemns at the passage of the Electoral Amendment Act 2015, without public consultation, and in clear violation of the of regional norms and standards;

Condemns the undemocratic processes adopted in the Electoral Amendment Act, which makes The Gambia one of the most expensive countries in the world for aspiring candidates to public office, especially for the most vulnerable, youth and women;

Condemns the continued threats meted out to human rights defenders and political opposition- especially given utterances made by President Jammeh, that he cannot guarantee the safety of human rights defenders working in The Gambia and he will bury political opponents nine feet deep and those that support them;

Further condemns the Government of The Gambia’s lack of respect for the rule of law; and that the Separation of Powers – the mandate and functions of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary has been systematically blurred and rendered no existent; parliament has been systematically weakened and rendered ineffective; independence of the Judiciary has been eroded and judges are not independent in the discharge of their duties; freedom of the members of the Bar is not guaranteed;

Condemns the attitude and contempt shown by The Gambia government to the ECOWAS Court, by the refusal to honour the court ruling to produce Chief Ebrima Manneh and compensate his family, as well as compensate Musa Saidykhan for torture meted out to him whilst under the custody of state security agents; and the findings of the community court that The Gambia Government did not uphold its responsibility to fully and properly investigate the murder of Deyda Hydara;

Condemn the continued acts of police brutality, the use of military force to terrorize a population, and the inhumane conditions in prisons and detention centres;

Condemn the government of the Gambia’s continued position to ignore the calls for reforms by its peers, civil society and the international community; and its determination to continue to violate the rights of its own citizens through the rule of terror, and instilling fear within the general public;

WACSOF hereby calls upon ECOWAS to:

Call The Gambia to comply with its obligations as a member state and align with the normative regional frameworks such as the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, and the ECOWAS Court rulings, and adhering to the collective aspirations of member states to live in a peaceful, stable, prosperous and democratic dispensation:

Call for the unconditional release of the UDP member’s and individuals arrested in connection with the April-May 20116 peaceful protests.

Diligently follow up on its call on the Gambia government to conduct a full, effective, and independent investigation into the death of Mr. Solo Sandeng,

Call on the Gambia government to honour its commitments to political pluralism; to respect the freedom of expression of the Gambians and their right to peaceful protest.

Further call on the Gambia government to release Lamin Marigo (Comes), Lamin Sey (L-Tigo) and Pa Landing Jobe, youth activists who were picked up by the National Intelligence Agency on May 9th 2016, and have not been seen since.

Encourage President Jammeh to allow national dialogue for urgent political, electoral, media legislative and state institutional reforms to take place in the country.

Apply appropriate measures to state party violations, according to its own rules of membership and regional treaty, Article 77 of the ECOWAs Revised Treaty, and 45 of the Supplementary Protocol on Good Governance and Democracy.

Engage The Gambia government on these requests made by the representatives of the nonstate actors, and citizens of the ECOWAS community on behalf of a Gambian people who lived and continue to live, in fear of state repression and military brutality for 22 years.

Done in Dakar, Senegal, on 2 June 2016

About:
West African Civil Society Forum- WACSOF serves as a receptacle for civil society organizations feeding in to the ECOWAS System processes, and empowers them to exploit the public space at the National and Regional levels, in order for civil society to contribute to an integrated, stable and developed regional community. WACSOF’s mission is therefore to create the avenues through which CSOs can more constructively engage with the authorities at the national levels as well as the Institutions of the ECOWAS System. WACSOF has membership and country representatives in: Benin; Burkina Faso; Cape Verde; Cote D’Voire; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; and Liberia.

Civil Society Forum II Gambia- CSF II is the second series of conferences on and about governance, rule of law and democracy in The Gambia. Organizers are a coalition of non-state actors which include: African youth and gender activists; academics; lawyers; advocates; religious leaders; regional and international human rights organizations and other independent entities; parliamentarians. It is convened by the Coalition for Change Gambia-CCG and supported by Open Society Foundations’ Africa Regional Office.

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Genocide Looms Over Gambia

From the Manifesto of the People

In the run-up to and during the Rwanda Genocide, elements in the Hutu-led government including the military, the ruling party and their youth thugs coined and propelled words such as cockroaches, vermins, rats, tall trees, long necks among other phrases to refer to the Tutsi. These words and phrases were the code words used to direct the youths to identify and kill the Tutsi in the world’s worst genocide since the 2nd World War. Within a space of three months, more than 800, 000 to 1 million people were massacred across the country.

The recent remarks by Yaya Jammeh in his rallies in the Gambia have brought back these same words and phrases as he refers to the majority ethnic Mandinka as enemies, foreigners, destroyers, ants, vermins and such other words and phrases. If the Rwanda Genocide is to serve as a useful lesson, then Gambians and the world must stop Yaya Jammeh right now as he has set himself on the path of genocide in that tiny country of 1.9 million people. All ethnic groups in the Gambia share the same life, relationships and destiny, and therefore genocide would be the annihilation of the entire country.

The only reason Yaya Jammeh is embarking on this genocidal project is simply because the man is corrupt and incompetent yet wants to remain forever the ruler of the Gambia. His tirade against the Mandinka is not because of what he says about the Mandinka. It is because he has seen clear and direct efforts and initiatives that seek to put a stop to his criminality and evilness. If the Wolof were the majority, or the Fula or the Aku were in the majority, he would have said the same thing about them. The fact remains that the very pillars of support for Jammeh since 1994 were the Mandinka people simply because the Mandinka are the majority group. More Mandinka support Jammeh than oppose him. In all the elections in the Gambia, he has won hands down in all Mandinka constituencies expect Kiang West. In all Jola constituencies in the Foni, he and his parliamentarians won the elections unopposed. Yaya Jammeh has gained unbridled and passionate support from Mandinka individuals, chiefs, imams, youths, professionals, soldiers and women. During Jawara’s era, the majority opposition were the Mandinka. Thus the idea that the Mandinka are against him stands against facts and figures.

Yaya Jammeh is not the Gambia. Those who oppose Yaya Jammeh cannot be equated with being an enemy of the Gambia. But he has been cleverly playing with facts and reality to confuse naïve-minded people and unconscious sections of the society just to entrench himself in power to continue to loot our treasury, personalize our lands and legitimize his atrocious misrule while projecting himself as a victim. Dictators have always employed brute violent and deception to fool the people. This is what Yaya Jammeh is exactly doing.

For example, the claim that the Mandinka came to the Gambia is not only false and criminal, but also irrelevant. By law, even if a Chinese assumes Gambian citizenship today, his non-Gambian history is no more relevant than any Mandinka or Fula or Jola Gambian for the past seven generations. Secondly, the Manding Empire stretched from the Gambia to Niger covering the majority of states in West Africa. Thus the Mandinka have been indigenous in all the nations in the region including the Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mauritania and Niger. Thus to claim that the Mandinka are not indigenous to the Gambia is criminally false and dishonest. The Mandinka or Jahanka are called other names such as Jula or Djula in Ivory Coast, Malinke in Guinea, Mandingo in Sierra Leone and Liberia or Bambara in Mali and Senegal are one people across the sub-region. To therefore claim that the Mandinka came from outside to the Gambia is to claim that the Wolof or the Jola are also foreigners in the Gambia. That is false. These are all indigenous peoples of the Gambia.

For any Gambian citizen to claim even in your bedroom that any particular tribe of the country is non-Gambian and describe them as vermins and enemies would constitute a severe violation of the constitution and the laws of the land. Such a remark would be unpatriotic and a threat to national security. If such statements become known, such a person would have been subjected to arrest and prosecution for hate speech, sedition and a violation of the constitution. Thus to have such a statement come out of the mouth of the head of state in a public event constitutes treason for which such a president must face impeachment proceedings immediately or outright arrest and prosecution.

Where such action is not possible as in the Gambia right now, all well meaning political leaders and parties must come out openly and in unison to condemn such a statement and its producer and demand that the president resigns. Thus this statement by Yaya Jammeh is a direct test to the leadership and patriotism of Hamat Bah and his party, Halifa Sallah and his party, Mai Fatty and his party, Mama Kandeh and his party, Henry Gomez and his party, OJ Jallow and his party and Ousainou Darboe and his party. If these individuals and parties will prove their patriotism and honesty with the Gambia, here is a classic and non-controversial challenge before them that requires an outright and direct attention. Failure to take such a stand is to abet tyranny and complicit in genocide that is to unfold in the Gambia.

At the same time, the ICC in an attempt to curtail impunity in the world has a responsibility to respond to the systematic history and practice of human rights violations and atrocities in the Gambia. While the ICC focuses on war crimes, crime against humanity and genocide, however the body bears responsibility to also deter the occurrence of these heinous crimes where it detects a trend that will produce them. The ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has made statements in other countries where these ICC crimes were not yet committed, but she gave a warning to stakeholders to bear in mind that they are being watched. Yet in the Gambia, the prosecutor is yet to make a statement when the Gambian leadership is the first in Africa since the Rwanda genocide to issue genocidal statements. If this were not enough to warrant an ICC warning statement, then the ICC would be complicit if genocide erupts in the Gambia. It is clear to all and sundry that Yaya Jammeh and his regime have a targeted policy of abuse against the ethnic Mandinka since 1994.

Not only the ICC, but also all African and European governments, ECOWAS, AU, EU, US and UN and indeed all stakeholders need to urgently address the uncontrolled vitriol of this despot. Africa, and indeed the world cannot afford to witness yet another genocide or senseless bloodbath. It is clear for all to see that there is a consistent trend of atrocities and human rights violations in the Gambia perpetuated by this regime since 1994. The number of Gambian victims of summary execution, torture, rape and enforced disappearance continue to rise. Currently tens of Gambians are languishing in jail for merely staging a peaceful protest. These people have been refused bail for more than a month in detention. Already no one can account for how many have been killed. In the ongoing court appearances, two elderly women Nogoi Njie and Fatoumata Jawara gave details of their detention during which they were subjected to severe torture and rape.

For all Gambians, no one should brush aside these violent statements as ranting of a deranged and paranoid tyrant. Only tyrants in their imbecility cause genocides. No Gambian must perceive this matter as an issue for the Mandinka people. No Gambian must seek to detach oneself from this terrible issue because it is about politics. All Gambians must realize that the country faces an existential threat that will not spare anyone. Thus all Gambians regardless of ethnicity and religion and region must become alert and vigilant to ensure that the Yaya Jammeh regime is removed from the country because it is a direct threat to our existence and all we stand for. All efforts and initiatives must speak to each other to ensure that this regime is kicked out so that a new Gambia could be built on the foundations of respect, tolerance, democracy and human rights.

All Gambians need to ask themselves if this is the kind of leader and government they deserve. How would you feel if Nogoi or Fatoumatta were your mother, sister, wife or aunt? Should any human being be subjected to such inhumanity?

Forward to the Gambia.

Kambi Bolong

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source www.kaironews.com

Protesters Still Around ( “Nmanta dawoda, Julia ye nsang ne Darboe

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Despite President Yahya Jammeh’s threat to “kill troublemaking Mandinka protesters,” United Democratic Party today hold protest outside the High Court in Banjul. Mr. Jammeh last week renewed his tirade on majority Mandinka ethnicity, threatening to “kill them like ants if they dare protest.”

As shown in the embedded video, calabash-holding women sang praises of their remanded leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe. The UDP leadership and others remain in detention since their arrest on April 16th when they protested peacefully against torture of opposition youth protesters. They have since been slapped with trump up charges, with the courts denying them the right to bail.

But protesting women refuse to run out of steam. As a result, they travel to Banjul to cheer up the political detainees as they battle their case before Jammeh’s mercenary foreign judge.

The women’s defiance is felt in their songs. In this video, the women sing in Mandinka thus: “Nmanta dawoda, Julia ye nsang ne Darboe. Mbeye jang Jula ye nsang ne Darboe. [We’re not going anywhere, Trader Darboe. We’re here for you. You bought us (literally means we owe you a lot), Trader Darboe].“

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